Why did Isabel May leave 1883? Elsa Dutton dies in finale

1883 season 1

At the end of tonight’s 1883 season 1 finale, it seems as though we witness the end of Isabel May as Elsa Dutton on this franchise. Or, have we? There are some fascinating things to think about here!

First and foremost, we should make at least one thing abundantly clear at the moment: Elsa is dead. That is not something that the franchise is going to be retconning down the road. Her death is unbelievably sad, but also another reminder of the incredibly cruel nature of this overall world. People die and die often, and that is not something that is going to be changing in the near future.

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Now that we’ve said this, though, we can tell you that May technically does still have a larger role to play within the Yellowstone prequel universe. Despite the fact that her character is dead, she still serves as the narrator for 1923 moving forward. We also tend to think that she is going to inhabit that role for the entirety of the franchise. We know that there are plans for some other prequels in due time, and we would say that this is something to be very-much aware of in advance.

Are we sad still to lose Elsa here? Certainly, but her memory lives on, and just about every person on this show still has a valuable role to play in the future, even if they are deceased. The events of this show do dovetail into 1923, and it remains to be seen if it is going to get a separate airing on Paramount Network.

(Remember, there are two different reasons why 1883 is coming on the air this summer — it helps with the large Yellowstone delay, and also the fact that there isn’t as much content around due to both the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.)

Related Go ahead and get some updates on 1923, including what the future could hold

Are you still sad about the death of Elsa Dutton at the end of the 1883 season 1 finale?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, remember to then also come back to get some other updates in due time.

(Photo: Paramount+.)

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